Asia’s most influential furniture production, woodworking machinery and interior decor trade fair closed on a high note 31 March 2018. The event covered an area of 150,000 square meters, with a total of 1,459 exhibitors, including 340 companies from abroad. The four-day event attracted participation from a total of 132 countries and regions, and a record 89,858 visitors showed up to sniff out the latest and best products – an increase of about 7.8 per cent over the previous year. The number of buyers from mature markets such as Malaysia and South Korea as well as emerging markets including India and Pakistan also recorded significant growth.

An independent survey was commissioned by the organizers on exhibitors and visitors during the exhibition period to understand the latest status of the furniture production market. Results show optimism on the industry’s prospects this year.

The top two reasons for visiting the event was “seeking new suppliers” (62%) and “looking to become an agent” (37%). Nearly half (48%) of the surveyed buyers were at the event for hardware and component for furniture and cabinet. In addition, functional hardware is expected to be the focal point of the industry and is thought to possess the highest potential for market growth.

86 per cent of the respondents also said a resounding “yes” when asked if they would return for the next edition – a 14% jump from 2017, cementing CIFM / interzum guangzhou’s competitiveness as the region’s leading trade platform for furniture production.

“As the biggest furniture production trade fair for the Asian region, interzum guangzhou is of great value for gaining insights into both the product trends and future development of the industry. Coupled with China being the world’s largest furniture production base and consumer market with the greatest growth potential, interzum guangzhou has long been the most efficient trading platform for overseas brands to enter the China market. Our survey results are also very heartening with positive industry outlook and unprecedented participant approval rating," said Mr Keith Tsui, Managing Director of Koelnmesse China.

The new Custom Furniture Supplier Zone was a major crowd puller which saw manufacturers with superior raw materials and novel design gather under one roof.

Besides functional hardware, the furniture lighting also proved to be the other segment to see exponential expansion.

“It’s our first time exhibiting in China. I’m extremely happy with the exhibition and it’s very important for our company. The number of visitors is huge and they are from all over the world. I’ve received visitors from over 20 countries, such as Vietnam, Australia, Canada and India. In addition, the quality of the visitors is also excellent,” said Mr. Aykut Engin, business promotion manager of Beta Kimya San ve Ticaret AS from Turkey.

Regional manager Mr Erik Camani of Italy-based Cinetto F.lli S.r.l. – a fellow interzum guangzhou rookie – expressed similar sentiments: “There are just so many visitors and this far exceeds my expectations. 70% of them are from China, and 30% come from overseas. Most of them are furniture manufacturers, and there is also no lack of representatives from big brands. This year, our booth is in the Custom Furniture Suppliers Zone and I very much agree with this concept. interzum guangzhou is a very important platform for our promotion in Asia. We will continue to exhibit next year.”

“Over the years, I can see that the exhibition has been constantly improving. We’ve found numerous trusted partners at Interzum guangzhou and hope that the show will become even better,” said frequent buyer Mr Zolotarev Vitaly of Import Group from Russia.

Making his maiden visit to interzum guangzhou from India, CDS Creative Designs’ Mr Kamesh Velayudham enjoyed the activities and services provided by the organizer, and expressed appreciation for the PIAZZA lounge.

Yet another bright spot, the inaugural “20 PLUS 20 Annual List - interzum guangzhou Outstanding Furniture Accessories“ initiated by show organizers to actively recognize and encourage innovative brands and products in the furniture manufacturing field saw nominations pouring in from exhibitors to vie for the top 20 most influential and innovative furniture accessories accolade for 2017-2018.

After several rounds of screening by the organizing committee and a foreign expert consultant team, an award ceremony was held to honor the companies behind the winning products. A special feature display area was also erected and open to visitors who pored over the exhibits for free throughout the show period.

As a world-renowned trade fair organizer, Koelnmesse has an excellent track record for organizing some of the world’s most successful trade events, such as the accomplished interzum and imm in Cologne, Germany and furniPRO ASIA in Singapore. With 90 years’ experience in organizing large-scale commercial events connecting buyers and sellers, Koelnmesse brings forth an unrivaled skill-set and expertise needed to develop CIFM / interzum guangzhou into the premier international furniture production trade show in Asia.

The China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) is a highly qualified and experienced exhibition company. For more than 50 years, it has been organizing the China Import and Export Fair (also known as the Canton Fair), the largest trade fair in China. It is also the organizer of CIFF (China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou), Asia’s biggest furniture trade fair.